'The Boycott Began In Tel Aviv'

Psagot Winery CEO reveals international boycotts of Israeli products take their cue from leftist groups in Tel Aviv.

By Ari Yashar

First Publish: 1/24/2014, 10:24 AM

Yaakov Berg, CEO of Psagot Winery

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Yaakov Berg, CEO of Psagot Winery, revealed to Arutz Sheva that the international boycotts of Israel products began precisely in Tel Aviv. There, the discrimination by Israelis against domestic produce from over the 1949 Armistice line opened the international floodgates.

"Today everyone is attacking the countries that boycott us, but I want to say that the true boycott began from among us," emphasizes Berg.

"Many years I travel to well-known restaurants in the central region and Tel Aviv, and they tell me our wine is great, but when they hear it's from Judea and Samaria they show me to the door," reports the CEO. "Would they act this way to an Arab like they act towards a Jew?"

The winery, founded in 2003, is headquartered in the Samaria town of Psagot just north of Jerusalem, where wines are aged in oak vats in a cave from the Second Temple period which was discovered when the winery was established.

Psagot has won international acclaim for its quality. In the prestigious Vinalies competition in Paris, the winery won a gold and silver medal in 2011. It has won numerous gold medals in the Terravino competition, the Panama Vinos competition, and Israeli Wine Awards.

Berg comments that he would drink wine even if it was made by a "leftist kibbutznik." He notes the hypocrisy, saying "if I was an Arab asking to work as a waiter and they told me that they're refusing me because I'm Arab, that would immediately be news, so why is this considered normal?"

'They buy from us in Manhattan, but not Tel Aviv'

"70% of our wines are sold in countries worldwide, and are in prestigious restaurants in Manhattan, but not here in Tel Aviv," reveals the CEO.

Berg noted that he is convinced the Tel Aviv boycotters will in the end be boycotted as well, a prediction borne out by reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry is manipulating the EU boycott threats to pressure Israel.

"I say to those in Tel Aviv, today you're boycotting us in Judea and Samaria, tomorrow they'll boycott you too in Tel Aviv because you're Israeli Jews," warns Berg. "In Germany they didn't distinguish between Jews with beards and secular educated Jews. Tomorrow they won't just boycott Psagot Winery, but also Carmel Mizrachi, because both are connected to the state of Israel."

According to the Psagot CEO, all the Israeli business leaders in Davos for the World Economic Forum that warned Israel must make a peace deal for the sake of the economy don't know what they're talking about.

"The stupidity is laughable, the recent years have been the best for the Israeli economy, in contrast to other countries in the world we've grown and grown," remarks Berg.

Berg remarks on the true danger to Israel's economy, saying "business people are looking for security and stability, and I tell you if there will be a Palestinian state here, they won't come to invest in Israel, they won't invest in a region lacking certainty."